In 2011, COS granted $18,950 to Swem library for the purpose of purchasing a Bookeye scanner to reduce the use of paper and minimize printing costs for students and faculty. Since then, the scanner has reduced paper usage by 18,000 pages per month and saved students and faculty about $1,800 a month. Now COS has awarded Swem Library another $22,445 to purchase an additional Bookeye scanner.

COS is funding a student intern for this project. The intern will maintain the gardens to ensure that the gardens are utilized to the fullest extent while also serving as the key liaison between students and campus management. Part of the award will also go to garden development and research.

With these funds, students will run an educational demonstration to raise awareness about on-campus recycling by conducting a trash sort. This trash sort will show students the various items that are often thrown into waste bins instead of being recycled.

This sandbox will serve as an important educational tool for VIMS as it helps spread the message that “All-drains-lead-to-the-Bay.” With this tool, children, adults and students will be able to visualize watershed dynamics that can inform the public on stream flow, erosion, sedimentation, sea-level rise and topographic mapping.

This funding will help create a pilot program for promoting the use of native plants on campus and also serve as a foundation for research on the role of native plant propagation and its relationship to sustainability.

The goal of permaculture is to create self-regenerating ecological systems that require less maintenance and are more sustainable in both the short and long run. By funding this project, COS renews its commitment to developing more sustainable gardening methods on campus.

These recycling cans will be placed in convenient outdoor locations around campus, reducing the amount of recyclable materials that are thrown into trash cans. Creating convenient access to recycling cans will reduce the amount of waste going to landfills while also promoting the importance of sustainability around campus.